The American Catholic Sociological Review: A Reflection of the American Catholic Sociological Society, 1938-1968

The early part of the 1900s there was a great push in America to prove the efficacy of science to provide answers to all the country's questions. The study and use of sociology flourished. By the 1930s, it had become institutionalized in America's colleges and universities and achieved departmental independence by differentiating itself from the other social sciences. The focus of sociology attempted to apply pure objectivity and a value-free aspect to the methodology used. Sociology was presented as an empirical science distinct from psychology or social work.

The American Catholic sociologists found themselves in a unique position attempting to balance their sociological studies and their religion. The Catholic Church stressed that the existence of values in all groups and persons was integral to that group or person. One aspect could not be studied without acknowledgment of the other. The Papal Encyclicals demanded social action, applied sociology, to be used to address the problems uncovered during study.

In 1938, the American Catholic Sociological Society, was created as a forum in which Catholic sociologists could discuss and explore their findings with others who approached the subject from a similar perspective. With the first issue of the American Catholic Sociological Review in 1940, these same professionals found a vehicle by which to disseminate these studies and discussions to the larger Catholic sociological population. In 1964, the Review became Sociological Analysis and devoted itself to the sociological analysis of religion. This organization had a great effect on the curriculum and methodology used to teach sociology in Catholic high schools and institutions of higher learning throughout the country.

This study deals with the history of the organization and an analysis of the contents of the journal that it published. The history of the organization and its journal was compiled from interviews with past members, archival research, and summations of the various readings available. The content analysis was two fold. First, it examined the content based on sixteen separate topics of interest. Second, it examined the use of the journal to achieve the organization's goals.